Family drama abound in this blog series that reads like a family vacation cramped into a mini van.

As I write this review, April 8th, 2014 marks exactly two years since the first chapter of I am My Own Cousin was released online, in a new kind of self-published format: a blog. A free blog. Yes, I am My Own Cousin is published and put online absolutely for free, accessible to anyone with an internet connection and an interest. Currently hosting five chapters, it’s reminiscent of pre-19th century Russian novels that were published in newspapers by the chapter, that is, if pre-19th century Russian novels were raunchy, carefree exploits complete with illicit Dunkin Donuts mascots and tequila fueled comas.

From the first few lines of Chapter One, “over forty medical professionals watched our birth, as if it were the opening ceremony of the OB-GYN Olympics,” it’s clear that the story is, just like it’s formatting, fun. It’s a frolicking romp through the life of an open-minded triplet, not quite chronologically accurate, not quite with a set plot, like a highway that diverges into twenty backroads, some with grimy potholes, and others shockingly well paved, that all seem to merge back together occasionally, only to veer off again, leaving the reader a little confused, a little frustrated, but always ready to keep plowing on through the pages posts.

The honesty of I Am My Own Cousin is what holds the reader so strongly. The cast of characters is painfully endearing- a hardworking, young couple with three identical triplets (and later three more); girls who dress alike and have a bond so strong they don’t understand why sharing answers on tests, just like they share their dresses, is wrong. It’s this connection and interest in the girls and their stories that holds the reader when the going gets tough.

Painful hurt and betrayal go beyond the happy family dynamic that shines through the first few posts. Issues ranging from abuse, pregnancy, and devotion to a Church that later turns the girls away, create a powerful narrative. They challenge a powerful bond which, at sometimes, seems like it might shatter at any time. Instead of brushing off the hardest issues, the author, along with several guest posters, turn each trial of pain and family woes into a dialogue. Included along with family photos, pictures of the author’s first trailer, and a smattering of other images, are facts about teen pregnancy, abusive relationships, and other resources that are thoughtfully laid into the beautiful writing. While the girls might not have learned from their mistakes (and truly, the story sees these mistakes as pieces of a journey) they are accompanied by reflections, excerpts and inserts that create an even more powerful dialogue.

Yet the stories do not seek to strike some moral high ground. They are just as much about human error as they are about approaching life with humility and a sense of searching for beauty in every situation. Each character brings to the table ideas about relationships with friends, family, and even God, with honesty and tact. They are insightful stories without preaching, and beautiful without feeling like they are trying to eek out some moral or ideology. While some works become flawed in trying to find a meaning for each action, I Am My Own Cousin reflects on a life without drawing rights or wrongs. It leaves a gray area that the reader can eek out and relate to.

Certainly, anyone, from any walk of life, can reach out and be touched by a chapter of this blog. Family is an aspect of life we barely understand- a collective of individuals sometimes related by blood and not much else- yet one that has an incredible significance from birth to death.

Read with an open mind and an open heart. Perhaps the contents will shock you, upset you, make you joyful, but they will certainly make you feel connected to this family and their story. It’s one worth sharing. And one worth following up on- the end of Chapter 37 details where each character currently is.

I am My Own Cousin is a tribute to the variety of forms that self-publishing can take. It’s a story that does incredibly well in a format used for everything from mom’s blogs to politico pieces, due to the incredible amount of personality packed into every post. The personal pictures, ranging from selfies in the woods to personalized oil paintings, complement the down-home jargon and the shameless tell-all of each post, that create something more than could be stuffed into a traditionally printed book. The fluidity of the story, and the format of the blog that allow the reader to jump around, to click back and forth between Chapter 34: The Young and the Feckless, and Bonus Chapter 4: The GREAT Lesbian Adventure, add a new dimension to the reading experience.

Indeed, a non-linear story should be explored at the reader’s whim- for no matter which post one begins at- it will all be good fun.

The Youth Prescription lies somewhere between a historical narrative, a textbook, and a comic.

Most importantly, it is a discussion that spans the realms of psychology, alternative health, and modern medicine that investigates our culture’s obsession with youth. The author immediately suggests that this is not the obsession we should have- instead, we should focus on health, and turn our quest for the fountain of youth, to the journey to healthier bodies, which, in turn, age more gracefully.

The work then focuses on the connection between health and appearance, and the ways that youthfulness can be restored through healthier habits- whether focusing on the skin, or what lies beneath the epidermis. Treatments from magnets, to yogurt, to what the author hails as the holy grail of healthy supplements- bovine colostrum- are explored, and the author investigates the benefits of each of these supplements in layman’s terms. The descriptions are accessible to any audience, written in clear language (or as clear as writing about bifidobacterium infantis can possibly be). Yet what is lost in translation from scientific knowledge written in peer-reviewed papers to easily understandable terminology is important information. The common issue with diluting scientific research into summaries absorbable by those without understanding of the terminology, is that key points, and important ideas are lost. Generalizations, that can be loosely interpreted, and therefore have the possibility to be misleading, take the place of specific caveats that apply to research. Therefore, the written warning while reading The Youth Prescription is that outside research might be necessary- consult the original papers regarding the treatments prescribed by the author, along with a doctor’s approval.

Dr. Geissel successfully navigates the challenge of dumping products onto the page. She describes the ideas behind each of the remedies that she writes about, alone with personal experiences, and how the health benefits of each supplement, mask, and pill are connected to the anti-aging benefits. This results in a holistic view of aging that our society seems to be lacking. Instead of stressing picking up a needle and injecting poisonous botox into a forehead to eliminate wrinkles, Dr. Geissel takes the pages to describe how the effects on cells of medicines translate into aesthetic benefits. It is a look beyond the superficial interest in beauty of our society, and towards the wellbeing that we should strive to achieve.

Included in each chapter are cartoons, which, in many ways, seem to echo the irony of the subject that Dr. Geissel writes about. These tiny black and white snapshot portrayals are dispersed throughout the work; they are humorous reminders of the absurdity of the emphasis that our society places on aesthetics- and not the functioning body beneath our skins.

Therefore, The Youth Prescription should be treated as less than a prescription, and more of an anthology, an encyclopedic collection of possible remedies that target different issues associated with aging (or, as the author strives to connect- the health that indirectly affects the appearance of aging). It is a valuable resource of ideas, but is in no ways the magic pill to conquer aging once and for all. Read it for what it is: a well-researched description of the far reaches that our society is willing to take to conquer our obsessions with beauty. With that in mind, many of the treatments are expensive. They require a slew of pills taken in the morning, of careful dosages and doctor’s appointments.

While the book may be written in terms that are easily accessible, many of the treatments are not. This is in no way a flaw of the author, but is important to note that the audience may be able to internalize the ideas behind the research- but may not be able to reach out onto the shelves and use these ideas.

Therefore, what The Youth Prescription is lacking is a stronger analysis of the psychological factors that are more applicable to readers who do not wish to spend money on supplements, creams, and other treatments that may prove to be ineffective. A deeper conversation on ways to end the negative self-talk that allows people, including Dr. Geissel to become incredibly nervous when noticing a single age spot, would be a helpful supplement to the rest of the text. How can we end these perceptions as a society? How can we end them on a personal level?

The Youth Prescription is worth reading as an introduction to the ideas behind anti-aging. It is most certainly focused more towards middle-aged women who are the brunt of the aging crisis in our society, but can be a valuable resource to anyone interested in the connection between overall health and appearance. It is not a cure-all, but it is a good first appointment, with the treatment left in the hands of the patient.

Number of pages: 235

Recommended for: women facing their first aging crisis, students

Enjoy it with: a bottle of body lotion, a cup of yogurt, and a capsule of colostrum

Perhaps the most misleading element of this story is its title. “Three For Ship” is less of a swan song, and more of a battle cry. If you are expecting a carefree tale of frat brothers battling each other in a grungy basement to vintage rock, look elsewhere.

Instead, “Three for Ship” is more of an unearthing, a grim stripping of the walls erected between the world behind the Ivy League gates of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and the real world which every depraved alcohol-soaked Greek life member will eventually be expunged into- whether gracefully, or with disciplinary action, as in the case of Chris Knight, or, as dubbed by his Chi-Gam brothers, “Balls.”

Written in the first person, Chris Knight enters Dartmouth a conscious minority student, determined not to have a minority experience. As a freshman, Chris expects to have “a Dartmouth experience,” one devoid of race, class, or other distinction. Yet the magnetism of Greek Row teaches Chris that a new social order does exist- one with rankings based on fraternity membership that dominates the campus. Here, in this new social order, Chris ekes out his identity his freshman year in hundreds of games of beer pong, the classic college drinking game, which takes on new meaning as Chris struggles to move up from the lowly “Junior Varsity” tables in the back room of his chosen frat house, to the coveted “Varsity tables.”

As Chris’ relationship to beer pong intensifies, it slowly crosses the line to his identity, and his transformation to the apathetic, alcoholic, “Balls.” Written in the third person, “Balls” has no aspirations beyond returning to the Chi-Gam basement to blackout and boot heaps of steamy vomit.

A memoir written in a timeline, “Three for Ship” is the unveiling of the darker side of Ivy League, and college culture. Battling alcoholism, “Balls,” continuously asks those around him, “Did Dartmouth do this to me? By being here was I committed to this fate?” His university becomes his scapegoat and beer pong the meaning of his life, pulling away the curtain of the elite held by the Ivy League. In the midst of the college scandals ranging from Dartmouth to Texas Tech, in which plights of hazing, binge drinking and date-rape are consistently coming to light, and college culture is being analyzed as never before, “Three for Ship” seeks to analyze one man’s college experience, and address these questions as someone who lived through the thick of it.

Brutally honest, with scenes describing locking pledges into the trunks of cars, being ruthlessly vomited on in a frat house basement, and spending fifty man hours creating beautiful beer pong tables, “Three for Ship” cannot be viewed as an epic describing the college experience, or a condemning of the Greek life system. Instead, “Three for Ship” is a memoir at heart, filled with personal reflection, but also an odd justification of the actions of the brothers of the fraternity based on the status quo. Incredibly, the tone of the novel resonates with the members of the frat house, adding an authenticity and realness to the book which is at once intriguing and disturbing. To bear witness to the destruction of a life through literature is painful to read, but the honesty and fairness given by Chrispus Knight to his college experience makes “Three for Ship” worth reading, not for the non-existent morals gained from the story, or the uplifting ending, but for the outpouring of the soul of a culture that is currently being picked at by college administration, law enforcement, and the general public.

While the subject matter may be familiar, the bleakness of the presentation of “Balls” experience creates a vastly new and interesting look at the competitive college experience. In the midst of an environment riddled with stress, alcoholism becomes the only escape for a man once obsessed with his identity, but now content with the shell of his existence as destroyed in the basement of Chi-Gam. Read from a distance, “Three for Ship” is the perfect insider’s view at a problem that is unlikely to be resolved, but will continue to be analyzed by the public for years to come.

Read without a sense of morality, only an interest in the true culture of college basements and youthful mistakes, and you will not be disappointed by this battle cry.

Number of pages: 248

Recommended for: the weekend before a college reunion, a bedside table, anyone interested in collegiate politics or fraternities

The Struggle Trilogy is powerful. It’s a perspective that we need on a war that encompasses a nation thousands of miles from our home- one that feels removed in perspective to the nation whose soil is ravaged everyday by the boots of Americans and police, alike. Indeed, The Struggle Trilogy begins by setting a tone of polarization, as the main character Walid, fights for his family, with one child on the way, his conscience, his friends, and his plight to understand world order and the implications of the War in Iraq while he stands in the middle of his crumbling home and watches his nation fall apart- careful that neither the Americans nor the police take notice.

Some hidden truths are brought to light in this story. Americans come across as mindless drones of a war they are unsure why they are fighting- only sure they must fight. Their hearts are at home. Their minds focused only on the next bribe. Nationalities in the Middle East are severed- but only for profit. Family life becomes secondary to individual survival, and youth is not regarded as a well, but rather a stream of ignorance.

While the story may be centered around Walid’s life in Baghdad, several peripheral characters are introduced who add depth and breadth to the story, including Douglass, an American soldier. Neither Douglass nor Walid are particularly likable. The humanity of war is exposed through their turmoil- Walid’s slow descent into the underworld of Baghdad’s shady underbelly, and Douglass’s seeming incapability (albeit, this is a great simplification) to think, or even be, for himself. While fiction, it has the power to reshape held views through the raw indignities suffered on both sides- neither of which are painted with a clichéd brush. They are real, suffering characters, who endure graphic, physical pain that sears off the pages, and have deep lapses in their conscience behaviors, whether the product of their environment, their humanity, or the greater world that we live in.

The terminology of The Struggle Trilogy expounds upon common military terms. Scenes of violence are not avoided- they are tackled straight on. Expect to feel slightly queasy. The magnitude of the pain, the shockingness of the suffering explored throughout the three parts of the novel leave the reader confused. As does the ending.

The ending is perhaps the weakest part of the story. The rich character development throughout the books gives way to a complacent finish, one that any reader can root for- but which is frustrating all the same because in many ways the ending confirms the confusion, the brutality, the betrayal, and the mindlessness of war explored throughout The Struggle Trilogy– there are no clean cut corners. Winners and losers all stand in the same city of rubble at the end of any battle- the real winners are those who profit from the tangled heaps of wire and concrete, who see past alliances and idealism to the brutal deceits of war and the lives it alters. The Struggle Trilogy is a must-read for anyone interested in a perspective of war that is not diluted- but rather laid out with conclusions for one to draw on their own- outside the range of the media’s influence.

While it may be fiction, it is thought-provoking, tough, and a well-written journey through a very real place.

Ingrained in running a review blog that accepts all submissions, from all genres, from all levels of writers, is the acceptance that some manuscripts sent to our inbox will have typos, sentences without periods that never seem to end, or names that morph over the course of the story. It is a given that reading through thousands of pages, you will find errors and mistakes, whether due to grammar, format, or even the occasional missing page. As a reviewer, few of these small, common errors deter from the story.

Instead, plot lines that emerge strongly and run into the ground, disappearing without closure, characters whose dialogue changes (whether by accent or the essence of their personality), and cases of anemic story lines are the true detractors when reading self-published literature.

These errors show a departure from the writing process, from the painful molding, sculpting and close-shaving that every writer must endure to create a finished product. Just like traditional literature, most of the self-published works have very few typos. They have few grammatical errors. Commas, semi-colons and periods are all perfectly arranged. Instead of being plagued with typos, self-published works are often a tribute to the careful pruning and dedicated review that authors give to their own work, and the patience and generous time that each author gives to their work.

But underneath the final touches, the final swipes of a keypad, are months of thematic development, character sculpting, and an inherent understanding of the plot, from first words to the final pages. An idea must be fleshed out, salted, put through the wringer, cleansed, and digested to create an illuminating piece of literature. Characters must live and breath on their own in self-published literature- outside of the realm of the writer’s reputation or the author’s best intentions.

Thus, here are the most common concerns spotted in self-published literature, and some suggestions to avoid them:

1. The problem: Plot development beings strong, and then turns stagnant.

Literature needs to hold the reader. The level of interest attained in the first few pages must endure enough throughout the story for a reader to continue to pursue the next pages. A novel cannot have an explosive beginning before slinking away to muted dialogue and philosophical observation until the last explosive page. Instead, plot development needs to be ingrained into dialogue, character interaction, scene and theme. Change is intriguing. The most interesting man in the world is only interesting because he has changed himself through adventure and exploits which never end. The solution? Create a plot map. Include all characters, major and minor, changes in location. Go beyond the classic step bar graph:

(Anything that takes you five minutes to make is not in-depth enough to represent the quality and breadth of a full-length, developed manuscript)

Instead, try writing out character time lines and plot lines. Use different colors. Use shapes. Think creatively. Give enough time to this part of the process that you would feel confident explaining your story using your plot chart as a guide.

Here are some examples. What is intuitive to one person will not be intuitive to another. Explore your writing style through these visual guides. Look at your writing as evolving as art- with many layers of paint, grime, and sweat.

While a few typos aren’t enough to deter most readers, glaring mistakes (including misspellings of cities and names) are. Your manuscript should be polished. Mistakes like “to” and “too” detract from the quality and readability of your work. The solution? Read it. It sounds obvious, but the exhaustion and joy after finishing your initial piece can lead to oversight of simple errors. Fixing these problems will be labor-intensive if you don’t want to invest in an editor. The most effective solution is old-fashioned. Print it. Mark up your copy. Look at common grammatical errors. Don’t read for content, just for spelling. Read like your high school freshman English teacher. Not for idea development or plot, just for the nuts and bolts of grammar, word order, word choice, and punctuation. After this, read it aloud. Reading aloud helps to find those places that just don’t sound right, whether it’s a run-on sentence, or an awkward thought. Add these edits to your manuscript.

3. The problem: Original thoughts reading like fan-fiction.

One of Chomsky’s principles of language is recursion. We can add to sentences forever. We can expand them. We have clauses, contractions, commas, hyphens, semi-colons, we have all these tools to introduce fresh sentences, new thoughts, and beautiful language to our literature. So why don’t we? A common trip-up of self-published work is the reliance on cliches. Original thoughts become dulled when writers rely on old expressions to convey meaning. When conveying brand new ideas and thoughts, using these old cliches does not serve to add clarity, but rather dilutes the meaning and power of words. Instead of relying on age-old adages, reinvent your word choice and writing to reflect your voice.

Don’t write to reiterate. Write to stand out. Extract the essence of the style of your favorite author – not their words. Dan Brown is famous for his carefully structured novels. The same elements of his story fall within the same number of pages in many of his works. He is a formulaic writer, with a technique honed and developed over Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code. Admire his careful structuring, and adopt the essence of this technique, the careful laying of the plot and timely development. Do not copy the ratios of pages he uses for his books. Don’t begin your denouement on page 313 because Dan Brown does.

Avoid fan fiction writing. Don’t adopt characters and put them in new settings. Invent your own characters, their passions and feelings, and write without the archetypes or cliches that have already been developed. The most exciting stories are not copied. They are eked out.

The solution? Work with inspiration, not with rules. Approach your writing with the passion of your literary heroes, but without their formulas. Ask yourself what makes your character different. When you describe your characters, plot or setting, do you describe them as a comparison to another work? Why? What sets your manuscript apart from these sources of inspiration? Don’t be a fan, create your own fiction. You’ll find it to be more powerful and more rewarding than cut and copies of old works.

Self-publishing offers a break from the traditional. It’s an opportunity to explore ideas and be true to your identity as a writer. It’s also a relatively new field that holds traps and pitfalls, including the ones listed above. Creating a new and original idea is an on-going process, one that may stumble and trip, but which is always recoverable. What are other pitfalls of self-published works that you’ve noticed?

The fourth installment in Daniel Kucan’s boxing saga delivers as well as the first. This grimy, heartfelt excursion to the hole-in-wall Emerald City club in Boston, somehow walks the line between a torrid love story, a gut-wrenching physical and emotional fight between body and soul, and a vivid snapshot of the world of seedy nightclub fighting, a world which few ever enter- and fewer leave.

The inner dialogue of the main character, Zach, continues to evolve in this chapter, moving from a stagnant, stoic man, to a more vulnerable figure with a life teetering on a fine balance between solitude and desperate loneliness. Driven by his wishes to give “girl” a tuned piano, Zach continues to immerse himself in decisions made only for the present moment- with no regard for the future nor his well-being.

The dialogue continues to be raw and edged with the bitter tinge of a lovable loser whose life is foreign and somehow contrived, yet enthralling and poignant to any reader.

The brilliance of this series is the descriptive power of language that Kucan uses, which offers a true feeling of being untamed and wild, the freedom of Zach’s fists, and his own grimy, street-taught discipline races through each sentence of the chapter, permeating the gritty imagery with desperate emotion that continues to evolve through each edition and chapter.

Number of Pages: 22

Recommended For: An electric lightning storm in the city, a dark night

Gimme Shelter is a walk through an angry author’s life, a sometimes schizophrenic timeline detailing an anger problem, and the soothing remedy of Tanner- a pit bull adopted in the author’s later life with a nature distinctly different from the writer’s. It is a memoir that is well-written and full of emotion. The characters portrayed are raw, imperfect, and in need of attention, just as real humans are. And the story propelling the narrative is one of heartbreak and recovery- a feel good, motivational tale of love and acceptance.

Interspersed with a detailed, and well-written, albeit sprawling autobiography, are family photos and advice gathered from around the net on a variety of subjects, most relating to care for dogs, specifically pit bulls. While the additions are interesting, they take away from the flow of the story, creating a mash-up of a story that feels somewhat like a motivational novella, a self-help book, and an engaging story of the bond between human and animal.

Unfortunately, the flow between these segments feels off, as the timeline of the writer’s exploits is somewhat irregular, with vague references to past events, and shallow descriptions of auxiliary characters who add little to the plot.

At the heart of this book is a strong journey between a man suffering to right the painful wrongs of the very beginnings of his childhood by reconnecting with an animal whose disposition is sweet and kind, despite trauma and abandonment. In many ways, the timelines of author and pet are very similar, and the work bridges many important questions about the bonds between man and animal, abuse and recovery, and family. Yet the story is saturated with other tidbits which should be distilled to provide an exciting snapshot of life, without information irrelevant to the story, and with a stronger focus on the acts of recovery that define us all.